SARA-R4 series - System Integration Manual
UBX-16029218 - R06
Design-in
Page 36 of 102
the typical choice when the charging source has a relatively low nominal voltage (~5 V). If both a permanent
primary supply / charging source (e.g. ~12 V) and a rechargeable back-up battery (e.g. 3.7 V Li-Pol) are available
at the same time as possible supply source, then a proper charger / regulator with integrated power path
management function can be selected to supply the module while simultaneously and independently charging
the battery. See sections 2.2.1.6 and 2.2.1.7 for specific design-in.
An appropriate primary (not rechargeable) battery can be selected taking into account the maximum current
specified in
SARA-R4 series Data Sheet
[1] during connected-mode, considering that primary cells might have
weak power capability. See section 2.2.1.5 for specific design-in.
The usage of more than one DC supply at the same time should be carefully evaluated: depending on the supply
source characteristics, different DC supply systems can result as mutually exclusive.
The selected regulator or battery must be able to support with adequate margin the highest averaged current
consumption value specified in the
SARA-R4 series Data Sheet
The following sections highlight some design aspects for each of the supplies listed above providing application
circuit design-in compliant with the module
VCC
requirements summarized in Table 6.
2.2.1.2
Guidelines for VCC supply circuit design using a switching regulator
The use of a switching regulator is suggested when the difference from the available supply rail source to the
VCC
value is high, since switching regulators provide good efficiency transforming a 12 V or greater voltage
supply to the typical 3.8 V value of the
VCC
supply.
The characteristics of the switching regulator connected to
VCC
pins should meet the following prerequisites to
comply with the module
VCC
requirements summarized in Table 6:
Power capability
: the switching regulator with its output circuit must be capable of providing a voltage
value to the
VCC
pins within the specified operating range and must be capable of delivering to
VCC
pins
the maximum current consumption occurring during transmissions at the maximum power, as specified in
the
SARA-R4 series
Data Sheet
Low output ripple
: the switching regulator together with its output circuit must be capable of providing a
clean (low noise)
VCC
voltage profile.
High switching frequency:
for best performance and for smaller applications it is recommended to select a
switching frequency
≥
600 kHz (since L-C output filter is typically smaller for high switching frequency). The
use of a switching regulator with a variable switching frequency or with a switching frequency lower than
600 kHz must be carefully evaluated since this can produce noise in the
VCC
voltage profile and therefore
negatively impact the LTE modulation spectrum performance.
PWM mode operation
: it is preferable to select regulators with Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) mode.
While in connected-mode, the Pulse Frequency Modulation (PFM) mode and PFM/PWM modes transitions
must be avoided to reduce noise on
VCC
voltage profile. Switching regulators can be used that are able to
switch between low ripple PWM mode and high ripple PFM mode, provided that the mode transition occurs
when the module changes status from the active-mode to connected-mode. It is permissible to use a
regulator that switches from the PWM mode to the burst or PFM mode at an appropriate current threshold.
